Methods of fabricating silicon carbide devices having smooth channels

ABSTRACT

Methods of forming silicon carbide power devices are provided. An n −  silicon carbide layer is provided on a silicon carbide substrate. A p-type silicon carbide well region is provided on the n −  silicon carbide layer. A buried region of p +  silicon carbide is provided on the p-type silicon carbide well region. An n +  region of silicon carbide is provided on the buried region of p +  silicon carbide. A channel region of the power device is adjacent the buried region of p +  silicon carbide and the n +  region of silicon carbide. An n −  region is provided on the channel region and a portion of the n −  region is removed from the channel region so that a portion of the n −  region remains on the channel region to provide a reduction in a surface roughness of the channel region.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST

The present invention was developed with Government support under contract number FA8650-04-2-2410 awarded by the United States Air Force. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods of fabricating power devices and the resulting devices and, more particularly, to silicon carbide power devices and methods of fabricating silicon carbide power devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Power devices are widely used to carry large currents and support high voltages. Modern power devices are generally fabricated from monocrystalline silicon semiconductor material. One widely used power device is the power Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET). In a power MOSFET, a control signal is supplied to a gate electrode that is separated from the semiconductor surface by an intervening insulator, which may be, but is not limited to, silicon dioxide. Current conduction occurs via transport of majority carriers, without the presence of minority carrier injection that is used in bipolar transistor operation. Power MOSFETs can provide an excellent safe operating area, and can be paralleled in a unit cell structure.

As is well known to those having skill in the art, power MOSFETs may include a lateral structure or a vertical structure. In a lateral structure, the drain, gate and source terminals are on the same surface of a substrate. In contrast, in a vertical structure, the source and drain are on opposite surfaces of the substrate.

One widely used silicon power MOSFET is the double diffused MOSFET (DMOSFET), which is fabricated using a double-diffusion process. In these devices, a p-base region and an n⁺ source region are diffused through a common opening in a mask. The p-base region is driven in deeper than the n⁺ source. The difference in the lateral diffusion between the p-base and n⁺ source regions forms a surface channel region. An overview of power MOSFETs including DMOSFETs may be found in the textbook entitled “Power Semiconductor Devices” by B. J. Baliga, published by PWS Publishing Company, 1996, and specifically in Chapter 7, entitled “Power MOSFET”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Development efforts in power devices have also included investigation of the use of silicon carbide (SiC) devices for power devices. Silicon carbide has a wide bandgap, a lower dielectric constant, a high breakdown field strength, a high thermal conductivity, and a high saturation electron drift velocity compared to silicon. These characteristics may allow silicon carbide power devices to operate at higher temperatures, higher power levels and with lower specific on-resistance than conventional silicon-based power devices. A theoretical analysis of the superiority of silicon carbide devices over silicon devices is found in a publication by Bhatnagar et al. entitled “Comparison of 6H—SiC, 3C—SiC and Si for Power Devices”, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 40, 1993, pp. 645-655. A power MOSFET fabricated in silicon carbide is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,421 to Palmour entitled “Power MOSFET in Silicon Carbide” and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Silicon Carbide power devices are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,142 to Suvorov et al., entitled Self-Aligned Methods of Fabricating Silicon Carbide Power Devices by Implantation and Lateral Diffusion and U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,169 to Suvorov et. al., entitled Methods of Fabricating Silicon Carbide Power Devices by Controlled Annealing, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

Notwithstanding these potential advantages, it may be difficult to fabricate power devices including power MOSFETs in silicon carbide. For example, as described above, the double-diffused MOSFET (DMOSFET) is generally fabricated in silicon using a double diffusion process wherein the p-base region is driven in deeper than the n⁺ source. Unfortunately, in silicon carbide, the diffusion coefficients of conventional p and n-type dopants are small compared to silicon, so that it may be difficult to obtain the required depths of the p-base and n⁺ source regions using acceptable diffusion times and temperatures. Ion implantation may also be used to implant the p-base and the n⁺ source. See, for example, “High-Voltage Double-Implanted Power MOSFET's in 6H—SiC” by Shenoy et al., IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 18, No. 3, March 1997, pp. 93-95. However, it may be difficult to control the depth and lateral extent of ion implanted regions. Moreover, the need to form a surface channel surrounding the source region may require the use of two separate implantation masks. It may then be difficult to align the p-base and the source regions to one another, thereby potentially impacting the device performance. Furthermore, performing a series implants and implant activation anneals may result in step bunched surfaces across the channel of the MOSFET, which may diminish device performance in terms of, for example, increased on resistance and reduced reliability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods of forming silicon carbide power devices. An n⁻ silicon carbide layer is provided on a silicon carbide substrate. A p-type silicon carbide well region is provided on the n⁻ silicon carbide layer. A buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide is provided on the p-type silicon carbide well region. An n⁺ region of silicon carbide is provided on the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide. A channel region of the power device is adjacent the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide and the n⁺ region of silicon carbide. An n⁻ region is provided on the channel region and a portion of the n⁻ region is removed from the channel region so that a portion of the n⁻ region remains on the channel region to provide a reduction in a surface roughness of the channel region.

In further embodiments of the present invention, a portion of the n⁻ region may be removed using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process that removes a portion of the n⁻ region from the channel region. The CMP process may remove all but from about 1000 to about 5000 Å of the n⁻ region. A portion of the n⁻ region that is from about 2.0 to about 3.0 times a depth of the surface roughness of the channel region may be removed. In certain embodiments of the present invention about 1500 Å of the n⁻ region remains on the channel region after the CMP process.

In still further embodiments of the present invention, the reduction in the surface roughness may be a reduction in a root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of from at least about 28 Å to less than about 1.0 Å. A sacrificial oxide layer having a thickness of from about 100 to about 1000 Å may be formed on the remaining portion of the n⁻ region on the channel region and removed. The RMS surface roughness may be further reduced by the formation and removal of the sacrificial oxide layer from less than about 1.0 Å to about 0.70 Å.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the n⁻ region may be an n⁻ epitaxial layer that is grown on the channel region to a predetermined thickness such that a portion of the n⁻ epitaxial layer remains on the channel region after removal of a portion of the n⁻ epitaxial layer. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the predetermined thickness of the n⁻ epitaxial layer may be from about 1500 Å to about 5000 Å. The CMP process may be followed by selectively etching the n⁻ region such that the n⁻ region is removed from the n⁺ region.

In further embodiments of the present invention, the p-type silicon carbide well region may be formed by implanting p-type dopants in the n⁻ silicon carbide layer. The buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide may be formed by implanting p-type dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region. The n⁺ region of silicon carbide may be formed by implanting n-type dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region on the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide. The implanted dopants may be activated by exposing the implanted dopants to a temperature of greater than about 1600° C.

In still further embodiments of the present invention, the p-type silicon carbide well region may be a p-type epitaxial layer on the n⁻ silicon carbide layer. The buried regions of p⁺ silicon carbide may be formed by implanting p-type silicon carbide dopants on the p-type silicon carbide well region. The n⁺ regions of silicon carbide may be formed by implanting n-type silicon carbide dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region on the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an n-type region of silicon carbide may be formed in the p-type silicon carbide well region adjacent the channel region. The channel region may be defined between the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide and the n-type region of silicon carbide. The n-type region of silicon carbide may be a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) region of the silicon carbide power device.

In further embodiments of the present invention, an n-type region of silicon carbide may be formed in the p-type silicon carbide well region adjacent the channel region. The channel region may be defined between the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide and the n-type region of silicon carbide. The n⁻ region may only remain on the channel region.

In still further embodiments of the present invention, the substrate may be an n⁻ substrate, which serves as a drift region of the silicon carbide power device. An n⁺ drain region may be provided on the substrate opposite the n⁻ silicon carbide layer. The n⁺ drain region may be an implanted region or an epitaxial region. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the silicon carbide power device may be a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET).

Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods of forming silicon carbide power devices. A silicon carbide epitaxial region is grown on a channel region of the power device. A portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region is mechanically removed such that a remaining portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region provides a reduction in a surface roughness of the channel region.

In still further embodiments of the present invention, the reduction in the surface roughness may be a reduction in the RMS surface roughness of from at least about 28 Å to less than about 1.0 Å. In certain embodiments of the present invention, a sacrificial oxide layer may be formed on the silicon carbide epitaxial region and the sacrificial oxide layer may be removed to provide a further reduction in the surface roughness of the channel region. The RMS surface roughness may be further reduced by the formation and removal of the sacrificial oxide layer from less than about 1.0 Å to about 0.70 Å.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross section illustrating power MOSFETs according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A through 2J are cross sections illustrating processing steps in the fabrication of the power MOSFETs of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A through 3C are images of channels of MOSFETS fabricated using methods according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a chart illustrating a comparison of Drain Voltage (V) vs. Drain Current (A) for conventional devices and devices fabricated using methods according to some embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top,” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another elements as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. For example, if the device in the Figures is turned over, elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. The exemplary term “lower”, can therefore, encompass both an orientation of “lower” and “upper,” depending on the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below.

Embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to cross-section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments of the present invention. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, an implanted region illustrated as a rectangle will, typically, have rounded or curved features and/or a gradient of implant concentration at its edges rather than a binary change from implanted to non-implanted region. Likewise, a buried region formed by implantation may result in some implantation in the region between the buried region and the surface through which the implantation takes place. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to a particular polarity conductivity type for various layers/regions. However, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the polarity of the regions/layers may be inverted to provide an opposite polarity device.

Some embodiments of the present invention prevention provide power Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) and/or other power devices that may include doped regions of silicon carbide. As is known to those of skill in the art, doped regions of silicon carbide may be formed through epitaxial growth and/or through implantation. For example, a p-type region of silicon carbide may be formed through epitaxial growth in the presence of a p-type dopant or through implantation of p-type dopants in an undoped, p-type or n-type epitaxial layer. The structure that results from epitaxial growth differs from that that results from implantation. Thus, the terms “epitaxial region” and “implanted region” structurally distinguish differing regions of silicon carbide and may be used herein as a recitation of structural characteristics of the regions of silicon carbide and/or as recitations of methods of forming such regions of silicon carbide.

While embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to MOSFETs, embodiments of the present invention may be used in other devices, such as laterally-diffused MOSFETs (LDMOSFETs), Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) or other such MOS based devices as well as high voltage devices, such as Schottky and PiN diodes without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Surface morphology is a concern in the development of commercial silicon carbide (SiC) power devices, such as SiC power MOSFETs. The series of implantation steps and implant activation anneals may result in step-bunched surfaces across a channel of the device. The steps created on the surface of the device may be several hundred angstroms, which may cause increased on resistances and reduced reliability of the device. Methods according to some embodiments of the present invention may provide channel regions having reduced surface roughness so as to improve overall device performance. In particular, methods of fabricating power devices according to some embodiments of the present invention may provide an additional n⁻ region on the channel region. In particular, an n⁻ region may be formed on the channel region of the device, a portion of which is removed, such that a remaining portion of the n⁻ region on the channel region provides a reduced surface roughness of the channel region. Thus, at least a portion of the step-bunched surface may be removed from the channel region to provide a smoother channel region, i.e., a channel region with reduced surface roughness. In some embodiments, the removal process is performed using a chemical mechanical polishing process that may remove a portion of, or from about 1200 Å to about 1400 Å, of the n⁻ region from the channel region. The remaining portion of the n⁻ region may provide a reduction in a root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of the channel region of from about at least 28 Å to less than about 1.0 Å as will be discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 1 through 4.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a cross section illustrating embodiments of a vertical power MOSFET according to some embodiments of the present invention will be discussed. It will be understood by those having skill in the art that the vertical silicon carbide MOSFETs are generally replicated in a unit cell. Such unit cells are illustrated between lines 100 a and 100 c or lines 100 b and 100 c. For ease of illustration, a two unit cell MOSFET will be described, however, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, additional unit cells may be incorporated into a MOSFET along one direction or along two, generally orthogonal directions, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a MOSFET according to some embodiments of the present invention includes an n⁺ monocrystalline silicon carbide substrate 10, for example, 4H silicon carbide. An n⁻ silicon carbide layer 12 is provided on a first face 10A of the substrate 10. As used herein, “p⁺” or “n⁺” refer to regions that are defined by higher carrier concentrations than are present in adjacent or other regions of the same or another layer or substrate. Similarly, “p⁻” or “n⁻” refer to regions that are defined by lower carrier concentrations than are present in adjacent or other regions of the same or another layer or substrate.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an n⁻ substrate could serve as an n⁻ drift layer of the device. In these embodiments of the present invention, an n⁺ drain region may be provided on a second face 10B of the n⁻ substrate. The n⁺ drain region may be provided by ion implantation or epitaxial growth without departing from the scope of the present invention.

A p-type silicon carbide region 14 is provided on the n⁻ silicon carbide layer 12 and may provide a p-well region of the MOSFET. It will be understood that the p-well region may be an epitaxial region or an implanted region without departing from the scope of the present invention.

A buried region 18 of p⁺ silicon carbide is provided in the p-well region 14 beneath an n⁺ region 20 of silicon carbide that is also provided in the p-type region 14. The n⁺ region 20 may provide a source region of the device. Adjacent and spaced apart from the n⁺ source region 20 is an n-type silicon carbide region 21 that extends through the p-well region 14 to the n⁻ silicon carbide layer 12. It will be understood that in embodiments of the present invention where the p-well region 14 is an epitaxial layer, the n-type silicon carbide region 21 may be termed a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) region of the device.

The n-type silicon carbide region 21 may provide a portion of an n-type channel region 29. A surface of the n-type silicon carbide region 21 may include unwanted steps of up to several hundred angstroms each, which may cause increased on resistances and reduced reliability of the device. Furthermore, a surface of the p-type region 31 between the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the buried region 18 of p⁺ silicon carbide may also included these unwanted steps. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 1, an n⁻ region 19′ according to some embodiments of the present invention may be provided on the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-type region 31, which may form a channel region 29 of the device. In particular, an n-type epitaxial layer may be regrown on the n-type silicon carbide region 21, the p-type region 31 and other surfaces of the structure and selectively removed such that a portion of the n⁻ region 19′ remains on the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-type region 31 of the device, but is removed from the n⁺ source regions 20 as will be discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 2A through 2J.

Regrowth is discussed in detail in commonly assigned United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0211980 entitled Silicon Carbide Power Devices With Self-Aligned Source And Well Regions and Methods Of Fabricating Same, filed on Apr. 24, 2003; United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0119076 entitled Vertical JFET Limited Silicon Carbide Power Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors and Methods of Fabricating Vertical JFET Limited Silicon Carbide Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors, filed on Oct. 30, 2003; and United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0038891 entitled Silicon Carbide Power Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors Having a Shorting Channel and Methods of Fabricating Silicon Carbide Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors Having a Shorting Channel, filed Jun. 24, 2001, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in their entirety.

The presence of the n⁻ region 19′ on the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-type region 31 may provide a reduction in a surface roughness of the channel region 29 (a combination of the n-type silicon carbide region 21, the p-type region 31 and the remaining portion of the n− region 19′). In other words, the n⁻ region 19′ may fill in some of the peaks and valleys on the surface of the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-type region 31 to provide a smoother interface 35 between the channel region 29 and the gate insulating layer 30 (discussed below). According to some embodiments of the present invention, the channel region 29 may have a root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of less than about 1.0 Å. Thus, according to some embodiments of the present invention, a reduction in the RMS surface roughness of from at least about 28 Å to less than about 1.0 Å may be obtained, which will be discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 2A through 3C. According to some embodiments of the present invention, an optional sacrificial oxide layer (not shown) may be provided on a surface of the channel region 29 and subsequently removed. The sacrificial oxide layer may have a thickness of from about 100 to about 1000 Å, for example 500 Å. The formation and removal of the sacrificial oxide layer may further reduce the RMS surface roughness of the surface of the channel region 29 to about 0.70 Å.

A gate insulating layer 30 of a suitable dielectric material, such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂), extends over the channel region 29 and to the n⁺ source regions 20. A gate contact 26 is provided on the gate layer opposite the channel region 29, including the n-type silicon carbide region 21, the p-type region 31 and the n− region 19′. Source contact 24 is provided between the n⁺ source regions 20 and a drain contact 28 is provided on a second face 10B of the substrate 10 opposite the p-type region 14.

It will be understood that although embodiments of the present invention are discussed with respect to the MOSFET structure illustrated in FIG. 1, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this configuration. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, the MOSFET may include a hybrid well structure as described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/873,394, filed Jun. 22, 2004, entitled Silicon Carbide Devices With Hybrid Well Regions And Methods Of Fabricating Silicon Carbide Devices With Hybrid Well Regions, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth fully herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A through 2J, processing steps in the fabrication of power devices, for example, MOSFETs, according to some embodiments of the present invention will be discussed. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, an n⁻ epitaxial layer 12 is formed on a n⁺ silicon carbide substrate 10, for example, a 4H silicon carbide substrate. The n⁻ layer 12 may have a thickness of from about 5 to about 200 μm and a doping to provide a carrier concentration of from about 1×10¹⁴ cm⁻³ to about 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻³. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the n-layer 12 is about 12 μm thick and is doped to provide a carrier concentration of about 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻³.

A p-type layer 14 is provided on the n⁻ epitaxial layer 12. As discussed above, the p-type layer 14 may provide a p-well region of the device. The p-type layer 14 may be an epitxial region or an implanted region without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, in embodiments of the present invention where the p-type layer 14 is an implanted region, p-type silicon carbide dopants may be implanted in the n⁻ layer 12 to provide the p-type layer 14. In embodiments of the present invention where the p-type layer 14 is an epitaxial layer, the p-type layer 14 may be grown on the n⁻ layer 12. The p-type layer 14 may have a thickness of from about 0.5 to about 3 μm and a doping to provide a carrier concentration of from about 2×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ to about 5×10¹⁷ cm⁻³. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the p-type layer 14 is about 0.5 μm thick and is doped to provide a carrier concentration of about 1×10¹⁶ cm⁻³. As further illustrated in FIG. 2A, a mask layer 100 is formed on the p-type layer 14 and patterned to form openings corresponding to the source regions 20 and the buried p-type regions 18 of the device.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the buried p-type regions 18 and the source regions 20 may be formed by patterning a mask layer 100 having openings corresponding to the location of the source regions 20. The buried p-type regions 18 are formed by ion implantation of p-type dopants using the patterned mask 100. The buried p-type regions 18 may extend to and, in some embodiments, into the drift region, for example, n⁻ layer 12. The p-type dopant may be, for example, aluminum or other suitable p-type dopant. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the p-type region 18 has a thickness of less than about the thickness to which the region 21 may be formed, for example, from about 0.2 μm to about 1 μm. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the buried p-type regions 18 extend from a depth of about 0.2 μm to a depth of about 0.7 μm from the surface of the p-type layer 14. Furthermore, the p-type region 18 may be doped to provide a carrier concentration of from about 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻³ to about 1×10¹⁸ cm⁻³.

As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the source regions 20 are formed by implanting n-type dopants into the p-type layer 14 utilizing the patterned mask 100. The n-type dopant used for n-type implants may be, for example, nitrogen and/or phosphorus, however, other n-type dopants may also be used. The n-type source regions 20 may extend a distance of from about 0.2 μm to about 0.3 μm into the p-type layer. The n-type source regions 20 may be doped to provide a carrier concentration sufficient to allow for formation of a good ohmic contact. As used herein the term “ohmic contact” refers to contacts where an impedance associated therewith is substantially given by the relationship of Impedance=V/I, where V is a voltage across the contact and I is the current, at substantially all expected operating frequencies (i.e., the impedance associated with the ohmic contact is substantially the same at all operating frequencies) and currents. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the n-type source regions extend to a depth of about 0.2 μm into the p-type layer and are doped to provide a carrier concentration of at least from about 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ to about 1×10²⁰ cm⁻³.

While embodiments of the present invention are described herein using the same windows in the patterned mask 100 for implantation of both the p-type regions 18 and the source regions 20, in some embodiments of the present invention different size windows may be used to compensate for straggle in the implantation.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2D through 2E, the mask 100 may be removed and an n-type silicon carbide region 21 of the device may be provided in the p-well region 14. The n-type silicon carbide region 21 may be an implanted region or an epitaxial region without departing from the scope of the present invention. In embodiments of the present invention where the n-type silicon carbide region 21 is an implanted region, a second mask layer 120 may be patterned to have opening corresponding to the n-type silicon carbide region 21 of the device as illustrated in FIG. 2D. It will be understood that in embodiments of the present invention where the p-well region 14 is an epitaxial layer, the n-type silicon carbide region 21 may be termed a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) region of the device.

As illustrated in FIG. 2E, the n-type silicon carbide region 21 may be formed by implanting n-type dopants in the p-type layer 14 utilizing the patterned mask 120 so as to form the n-type silicon carbide region 21 that extends through the p-type layer 14 to the drift region, for example, the n-type epitaxial layer 12. Any suitable n-type dopants may be used. In some embodiments of the present invention, nitrogen is used as the n-type dopant.

When the device is turned-on, the n-type region 21 can provide a path from the MOS channel to the lightly doped drift region (12), allowing electrons to flow from source regions to drain regions. In the off-state, this n-channel region may be depleted of electrons from the reverse biased pn junction, which is formed on both sides of the channel region. The pn-junctions on both sides of the channel region may shield the MOS region from high electric fields at off state, which may result in a higher device reliability compared to trench devices, such as UMOSFETs.

FIG. 2F illustrates the formation of an optional cap layer 140 of a deposited oxide and/or other passivating material. The cap layer 140 may have a thickness of from about 0.01 μm to about 1 μm. In any event, whether a cap layer 140 is utilized or not, the device may be exposed to a high temperature anneal ranging from about 900° C. to about 1800° C. and in some embodiments, about 1600° C. for several minutes, such as five minutes, so as to activate the n-type and p-type implants.

As illustrated in FIG. 2G, the cap layer 140 may be removed and an n⁻ silicon carbide epitaxial region 19 may be formed on the channel region 29 of the device. A depth of the n⁻ silicon carbide epitaxial region 19 may be controlled so that only a portion of the n⁻ region 19 may be removed from the channel region 29 in a subsequent processing step. In some embodiments of the present invention, the n⁻ silicon carbide region may have a thickness of from about 1500 Å to about 6000 Å and a carrier concentration of about 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻³.

As illustrated in FIG. 2H, a portion of the n⁻ region 19 is removed. The portion of the n⁻ region 19′ that remains on the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-type region 31 may define the channel region 29 (FIG. 2I) of the device. The remaining portion of the n⁻ region 19′ may have a thickness of from about 1000 to about 5000 Å. In some embodiments of the present invention, the remaining portion of the n⁻ region 19′ may have a thickness of from about 1500 Å. The presence of the remaining portion of the n region 19′ on the channel region 29 may provide a reduction in a surface roughness of the channel region 29 at an interface 35 between the n-region 19′ and the gate insulator 30, which will be discussed further below with respect to FIG. 3.

It will be understood that that the channel region 29 may be defined by the remaining portion of the n⁻ region 19′ and the portion of the p-well 31 between the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the buried p-type regions 18 and the source regions 20. Accordingly, the n⁻ region 19′ may only remain on the portions of the p-well 31 between the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the buried p-type regions 18 and the source regions 20 and not on the n-type silicon carbide region 21 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process may be performed that removes a portion of the n⁻ region 19 from a surface of the channel region 29. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the CMP process may remove a portion of the n− region 19 that is from about 2.0 to 3.0 times a depth of the surface roughness of the channel region 29. It will be understood that any conventional CMP process may be used as the CMP process discussed herein without departing from the scope of the present invention. However, the process discussed herein does not remove the entire n⁻ region 19. Typically, implanted regions have a thickness of a few thousand angstroms and conventional CMP processes remove several microns of film during the CMP process to obtain the desired result. However, as will be understood by those having skill in the art, removal of several microns of film from the structure of FIG. 2G would remove all of the implanted region rendering the device non-functional.

Accordingly, some embodiments of the present invention use a CMP process that removes a portion of the n⁻ region 19, leaving a portion of the n⁻ region 19′ remaining on the channel region 29. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, the CMP process may be performed for less than about 3 hours, for example, from about half an hour to about an hour. In other words, after the CMP process from about 1000 to about 5000 Å of the n⁻ region 19 may remain on the channel region 29 of the device. Thus, the remaining portion of the n⁻ region may be from about 1000 to about 5000 Å. The remaining portion of the n⁻ region 19′ on the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-well region 31 become part of the channel region 29, i.e., the remaining portion of the n− region 19′ may fill in the peaks and valleys on a surface of the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-well region 31. As further illustrated in FIG. 2H, a mask 130 may be provided on the remaining portion of the n⁻ region 19′ and the n⁻ region 19′ may be patterned according to the mask 130, removing portions of the n⁻ region 19′ on the source regions 20 as illustrated in FIG. 2I. As discussed above, in some embodiments of the present invention the n− region 19′ may only remain on the p-well region 31 between the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the source regions 20 and the buried p-type regions 18.

As discussed above, providing the n⁻ region 19′ on the n-type region 21 and the p-well region 31 may provide a reduction in the surface roughness between the n− region 19′ and the gate insulator 30. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the surface of the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-well region 31 may have many peaks and valleys after the anneal that activates the implanted regions. These peaks and valleys (several 100 angstroms) may cause suboptimal performance of the device. After the forming of the n⁻ region 19 on the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-well region 31 and the removal of a portion of the n⁻ region from the n-type silicon carbide region 21 and the p-well region 31 according to some embodiments of the present invention, many of the peaks and valleys may be removed by the presence of the remaining portion of the n⁻ region 19′ as illustrated in FIG. 3B. In particular, the root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of the channel region 29 may be reduced from at least about 28 Å in FIG. 3A to less than about 1.0 Å in FIG. 3B according to some embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, an optional sacrificial oxide layer (not shown) may be formed on a surface of the channel region 29 and removed. The formation and removal of the sacrificial oxide layer may further reduce the RMS surface roughness to about 0.70 Å as illustrated in FIG. 3C.

As illustrated in FIG. 2I, a layer 30 of insulating material may be deposited on the device so as to provide a gate insulating material. In some embodiments of the present invention, the insulating material may be formed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,366, entitled Method of N₂O annealing an oxide layer on a silicon carbide layer, U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,843, entitled Method of N₂O growth of an oxide layer on a silicon carbide layer and/or United States Patent Application Publication No. US2002/0102358A1, entitled Method of fabricating an oxide layer on a silicon carbide layer utilizing an anneal in a hydrogen environment, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein as if set forth in their entirety. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the insulating material may be formed as described in Improved Inversion Channel Mobility for 4H—SiC MOSFETs Following High Temperature Anneals in Nitric Oxide to Chung et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in its entirety. As further illustrated in FIG. 2I, a gate contact 26 may be formed by forming a metal contact on the gate insulating material 30. Suitable gate contact materials include, but are not limited to, aluminum, polysilicon and molybdenum. Furthermore, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a multi-layered gate contact may also be used.

As is illustrated in FIG. 2J, contact holes may be formed in the insulating material 30′ and ohmic contacts may be formed in the contact holes to provide source contacts 24. Similarly, an ohmic contact 28 may be formed on the substrate 10. Suitable ohmic contact materials include, but are not limited to, nickel, titanium alloy, and aluminum. The deposited metal contacts may then be annealed at a high temperature ranging from about 500° C. to about 1200° C. An overlayer metal may also be deposited on the contacts, for example, to facilitate connection to the device.

It will be understood by those having skill in the art that the order of steps in FIGS. 2A through 2J may be changed. Thus, for example, the n-type silicon carbide region 21 may be formed before forming the n⁺ regions 20 without departing from the scope of the present invention. Similarly, the buried p⁺ regions 18 may be formed either before or after formation of the n⁺ regions 20 or the n-type silicon carbide region 21. Similarly, the contacts 24 may be formed by, for example, depositing and patterning a metal layer, and then the insulating layer 30′ provided and openings in the insulating layer formed to the contacts 24. Accordingly, the present invention should not be construed as limited to the exact sequence of operations described herein but is intended to encompass other sequences of fabrication that will become apparent to those of skill in the art in light of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a chart illustrating a comparison of Drain Voltage (V) vs. Drain Current (A) for conventional devices and devices fabricated using methods according to some embodiments of the present invention will be discussed. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the drain currents of MOSFETs fabricated according to some embodiments of the present invention are higher than conventional MOSFETS at relative drain voltages.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims. 

1. A method of forming a silicon carbide power device, comprising: forming an n⁻ silicon carbide layer on a silicon carbide substrate; forming a p-type silicon carbide well region on the n⁻ silicon carbide layer; forming a buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide in the p-type silicon carbide well region; forming an n⁺ region of silicon carbide on the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide, a channel region of the power device being adjacent the buried region of p⁺ and n⁺ region of silicon carbide; forming an n⁻ region on the channel region; and removing a portion of the n⁻ region from the channel region so that a portion of the n⁻ region remains on the channel region to provide a reduction in a surface roughness of the channel region.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein removing comprises performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process that removes a portion of the n⁻ region from the channel region.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the CMP process removes all but from about 1000 to about 5000 Å of the n⁻ region from the channel region.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein removing further comprises removing a portion of the n⁻ region that is from about 2.0 to about 3.0 times a depth of the surface roughness of the channel region.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein about 1500 Å of the n⁻ region remains on the channel region after the CMP process.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduction in the surface roughness is a reduction in a root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of from at least about 28 Å to less than about 1.0 Å.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein removing is followed by: forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the remaining portion of the n− region on the channel region, the sacrificial layer having a thickness of from about 100 to about 1000 Å; and removing the sacrificial oxide layer, wherein the RMS surface roughness is further reduced by the formation and removal of the sacrificial oxide layer from less than about 1.0 Å to about 0.70 Å.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the n⁻ region comprises growing an n⁻ epitaxial layer on the channel region to a predetermined thickness such that a portion of the n⁻ epitaxial layer remains on the channel region after removal of the portion of the n⁻ epitaxial layer.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined thickness of the n⁻ epitaxial layer is from about 1500 Å to about 6000 Å.
 10. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the CMP process is followed by selectively etching the n⁻ region such that the n⁻ region is removed from the n⁺ region.
 11. The method of claim 1: wherein forming the p-type silicon carbide well region comprises implanting p-type dopants in the n⁻ silicon carbide layer; wherein forming the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide comprises implanting p-type dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region; and wherein forming the n⁺ region of silicon carbide comprises implanting n-type dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region on the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising activating the implanted dopants by exposing the implanted dopants to a temperature of greater than about 1600° C.
 13. The method of claim 2: wherein forming the p-type silicon carbide well region comprises forming a p-type epitaxial layer on the n⁻ silicon carbide layer; wherein forming the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide comprises implanting p-type silicon carbide dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region; and wherein forming the n⁺ region of silicon carbide comprises implanting n-type silicon carbide dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region on the first and second p⁺ regions of silicon carbide.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming an n-type region of silicon carbide in the p-type silicon carbide well region adjacent the channel region, wherein the channel region is defined between the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide and the n-type region of silicon carbide and wherein the n-type region of silicon carbide is a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) region of the silicon carbide power device.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming an n-type region of silicon carbide in the p-type silicon carbide well region adjacent the channel region, wherein the channel region is defined between the buried region of p⁺ silicon carbide and the n-type region of silicon carbide and wherein the n⁻ region only remains on the channel region.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises an n⁻ substrate which serves as a drift region of the silicon carbide power device, the method further comprising forming an n⁺ drain region on the substrate opposite the n⁻ silicon carbide layer.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the n⁺ drain region comprises at least one of implanting the n⁺ drain region in the n⁻ substrate or growing the n⁺ drain region on the n⁻ substrate.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon carbide power device comprises a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET).
 19. A method of forming a silicon carbide power device, comprising: growing a silicon carbide epitaxial region on a channel region of the power device; and mechanically removing a portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region such that a remaining portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region on the channel region provides a reduction in a surface roughness of the channel region.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the reduction in the surface roughness is a reduction in a root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of from at least about 28 Å to less than about 1.0 Å.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising: forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the remaining portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region, the sacrificial oxide layer having a thickness of from about 100 to about 1000 Å; and removing the sacrificial oxide layer to provide a further reduction in the surface roughness of the channel region.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the RMS surface roughness is further reduced by the formation and removal of the sacrificial oxide layer from less than about 1.0 Å to about 0.70 Å.
 23. The method of claim 19, wherein mechanically removing comprises performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process that removes a portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region from the channel region.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein a remaining portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region after the CMP process has a thickness of from about 1000 to about 5000 Å.
 25. The method of claim 19, wherein mechanically removing further comprises mechanically removing a portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region that is from about 2 to about 3 times a depth of the surface roughness of the channel region.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein a remaining portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region has a thickness of from about 1500 Å.
 27. The method of claim 19, wherein the silicon carbide epitaxial region has a thickness from about 1500 Å to about 6000 Å.
 28. The method of claim 19, wherein mechanically removing is followed by selectively etching the silicon carbide epitaxial region to expose an underlying region while a portion of the silicon carbide epitaxial region remains on the channel region of the power device.
 29. The method of claim 19, further comprising: forming an n⁻ silicon carbide layer on a silicon carbide substrate; forming a p-type silicon carbide well region on the n⁻ silicon carbide layer; forming first and second spaced apart buried regions of p⁺ silicon carbide in the p-type silicon carbide well region; and forming first and second spaced apart n⁺ regions of silicon carbide on the first and second p⁺ regions of silicon carbide, respectively, such that the channel region of the power device is defined between the first p⁺ and n⁺ regions of silicon carbide and the second p⁺ and n⁺ regions of silicon carbide.
 30. The method of claim 29: wherein forming the p-type silicon carbide well region comprises implanting p-type dopants in the n⁻ silicon carbide layer; wherein forming the first and second spaced apart buried regions of p⁺ silicon carbide comprises implanting p-type dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region; and wherein forming the first and second spaced apart n⁺ regions of silicon carbide comprises implanting n-type dopants in the p-type silicon carbide well region on the first and second p⁺ regions of silicon carbide.
 31. The method of claim 30, further comprising activating the implanted dopants by exposing the implanted dopants to a temperature of greater than about 1600° C. 